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User blog:Supahbadmarine/Where They Come From
Now all of us know a thing or two about Space Marines. For most us they are the first thing that we learn about when we get into 40k. Space Marines Chapters come in all sorts of varieties, many with unique cultures, organizations and ways of making war. However no matter how unique your article is, the Imperium is going to look at them based on the circumstances of their Founding, and upon their genetic lineage. It's sad to say, but in the Imperium sometimes where you come from is more important than who you are. Let's take a look at some of the Gene-lineages and Foundings and see how they might impact your Chapter. Shall we? Gene Sires Ultramarines If your Chapter is part of the lineage of Roboute Guilliman, then you are in good company. 60% of all Space Marine Chapters make use of Ultramarine Gene-seed, making them the most populous and successful bloodline of all Space Marines. They can be considered the "standard" for Space Marines. Ultramarine Successors tend to be strict followers of the Codex Astartes, and the line of Guilliman is infamous for its regimented nature and discipline. They are also known to have the most stable Gene-seed out of the first Founding Legions, making them excellent gene-stock. If you are worried about your Chapter being "unique" Don't worry. Since the Ultramarines gene-progeny are so numerous and widespread many have diverged quite a bit from the traditions of their parent Chapter. There are even Ultramarine Successors that are Non-Codex. So don't worry your little head. Imperial Fists The Imperial Fists. The sons of the brilliant Rogal Dorn. After the Ultramarines the Imperial Fists are likely the most common lineage for a Chapter to have. Like the Ultramarines and their successors the Imperial Fists and their progeny tend to follow the Codex Astartes pretty closley. The trait that most commonly sets the sons of Dorn apart is zeal. Imperial Fists and their successors tend to have an even more pronounced drive to claim glory for themselves, and to make up for any shortcoming they have. Success matter to them more than most. Thus they tend to be prolific Chapters with many honors. The Imperial Fists also have a very strong, respected reputation with the various branches of the Adeptus Terra, and thus the line of dorn can often have politcal clout. It should be noted that the Ultramarines and the Imperial Fists as well as their successors tned to have a rivalry with one another. How friendly or hostile this rivalry is depneds upon the Chapter in question. Dark Angels The Dark Angels have a vaunted, but grim reputation among the ranks of the Astartes, and their successors tend to take after their parent Chapter more than most. In fact the Chapters descended from the Gene-seed of Lionel Johnson even have a collective name. The Unforgiven. The Unforgiven tend to take after their predessesor in a number of ways. The Dark Angels tend to be a grim, brooding presence when compared with Chapters of other lineages. They spurn glory and flashy baubals, and cut a somewhat unfriendly figure. This is because of their secret shame, the Fallen. The Unforgiven seek to both hide, and wash away that stain upon their honor. Thus they do not seek to grow close to those outside the Unforgiven, less their secret become known. This has made them especially wary of the Inquisition, and the two sides do not get along. Likewise since they are very conscious of their honor, and anything that may blemish it they tend to be very orthodox in their beliefs, sometimes to an extreme extent. This is why they refuse to fight alongside mutant or Abhumans. In the Imperium the Dark Angels are unpopular for new Chapters because of the secrets surrounding the Unforgiven, the fact that they don't tend to play well with others and because they have been known to abandon their duties to pursue their own unkown agendas (chasing the Fallen Angels). Unforgiven tend to be Semi-Codex Chapters. They follow the Codex is most respects, but often their 1st and 2nd Companies are modelled after the Dark Angels' Deathwing and Ravenwing. As stated the Unforgiven aren't the most friendly of Chapters, and they have a particularly bad relationship with the Inquisition. They also have a rivalry with the Space Wolves. So if your Unforgiven Chapter happens to run into them it is a good excuse for some hostility. Remember that the hunt for the Fallen is going to be a big part of your Chapter's identity. Blood Angels To be a successor of the Blood Angels is to have a long history of glory, nobility and grief. The Blood Angels and their successors are often of a partiularly noble spirit, and usually possess glorious service records. However any Chapter Descended from the Blood Angels suffers from an ongoing struggle with the Gene-curse of Sanguinius's line. The Black Rage and the Red Thirst. Those that possess this gene-seed have to struggle daily to reign in their aggression and keep hold of their sanity. This is why the line of Sanguinius is believed by many to be cursed, and ultimately doomed. Thus if you make a Chapter of this lineage they are going to have to come to grips with the realization of a tragic fate. The Blood Angels and their successors have a naturally heightened aggression by Marine standards, and excell in close quarters combat, making them some of the most effective assualt Chapters in the Imperium. If your Chapter comes from this line they are very likely to have similar organizational structures to their parent Chapter. They may possess members of the Sanguinary Guard, and will most certainly have a Death Company of some sort. While the Blood Angels and their progeny have proven themselves again to be fearsome warriors, and dedicated servants of the Emperor their reputation has been marred by their curse. So other Imperial force may be wary of your Chapter White Scars Jaghatai Kahn and his White Scars are amongst the most fearsome and savage warriors of the Astartes. They are also well known for their love of high-speed warfare. To battle with the White Scars is to battle with a storm. They strike like lightning. The White Scars have a primal fury about them that is awe inspiring. If you make a Successor to them they may have the same apptitude for fast moving combat. Also they are a good choice for a parent Chapter if you are looking for a Chapter with more of that savage, barbaric fury to them. A White Scar successor may be the next best thing to that Space Wolves successor that you desperately want to make. Sorry again. Iron Hands The Iron hands are known primarily for two things. First off is their obsession with technology and modifying themselves with bionics. Secondly is their strong, bitter hatred. If you were to make a successor for the Iron Hands they are very likely going to be very tech adept, and may have strong relations with the adeptus Mechanicus. They may also be just as cold and unfriendly as their forebearers. It is thought that the Iron Hands' need to replace their flesh with metal is a sideeffect of a gene flaw. If this is so then your Chapter may suffer the same compulsion. Raven Guard The Raven Guard are a Chapter that rarely have successors. They were never one of the larger Legions, and the Drop Site massacre left them undermanned. They just barely managed to recover from their loses with forbidden science when the 2nd Founding occured. The Sons of Corax are known for their sharp wits. Where other Chapter roar onto the battlefield like thunder, eager to bring terror to the foe and glory to the Emperor, the Raven Guard applies force with a calculated precision and cunning. They choose to fight smarter against the enemy rather than harder. If you were to create a Raven Guard successor they may have these traits, and would likely possess the pale skin and dark eyes that has resulted from the subtle mutation of their gene-seed. Salamanders The Slamanders have no known successors, though there are some that are suspected. Space Wolves How sad for you. Everybody can agree that the Space Wolves are extremely awesome, and I am sure that you would like to make a successor for them, but alas. The Space Wolves' gene-seed is by far the most gentically unstable of all the 1st Founders. So unstable in fact that they can not have successors. They produced one successor Chapter in their history, the Wolf Brothers, and they were disbanded for rampant genetic mutation. a guy can dream though, right? Successors Sometimes a Chapter of a later Founding is given the honor of having their gene-seed used to create a successor Chapter. This is a tremendous honor amongst the Astartes, as it singles the Chapter out for its great service and valor. Successors of such Chapter may wish to adopt their parent Chapter's traditions and fighting style, wanting to emulate their parent. After all to be given a successor is to be acknowledged as having stood out from the rest of the Astartes. Foundings 1st/2nd Founding The 1st and 2nd Founding Chapters are of great importance to the background. After all they were created from the original Legions that fought in the Great Crusade. Needless to say they are vaunted Chapter with long, honored histories of glory in war. Having said that you don't have to worry about them. Why? Because this site has very clear rules that prohibit the creating of Chapters from these Foundings. Tough luck. 3rd Founding Not much has been said about the 3rd Founding. It is the earliest Founding that one can create a Chapter in on this site, and thus many people do since they want old, honored Chapters. While there aren't many real details about this founding there are things to consider about it. There are only two Canon Chapters that have been named that are part of the 3rd Founding. The Executioner and the Flesh Eaters. Both Chapters are known for their extreme brutality and aggression. Since this Founding happened so soon after the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring it may be that the Adeptus Terra felt they required brutal Chapters to strike fear into the Imperial populace and scare them into compliance during those hectic times. The 3rd Founding could have been used to raise "Butchers of the Emperor" that would wreak terrible slaughter on those that opposed the Imperium. Perhaps the times that they were founded in were so brutal that the Chapter of this time developed a savge culture as a result. Mind you this is never stated, so it is pure speculation, and can be completely ignored. 8-10th Founding These three Founding all have one thing in common. They occured during the Nova Terra Interregnum. A time of extreme unrest and civil conflict in the Imperium when the Ur Council of Nova Terra declared independence from the rule of the High Lord of Terra and took the whole Segementum Pacificus with them. So what can you expect from a Chapter created during one of these Foundings? You can expect them to be battle hardened. In addition to being founded during a period rife with civil conflict it was said that the Imperium Founded these Chapters out of a need to stabilize its borders. Thus Chapter in these Foundings have a good chance of being posted in or near volatile, dangerous areas that the Imperium felt they needed more firepower in. The Mantis Warriors and the Astral Claws for instance were part of the Maelstrom Warders, a number of Chapters charged with keeping an eye of the Warp Rift known as the Maelstrom. 13th Dark Founding The 13th Founding, aka the Dark Founding was an infamous Founding known for the fact that it was the only Founding of which almost nothing is known of it. Which Chapter and how many were created during it as well as who their Genesires were was not accurately recorded, and thus the Founding and those Chapters created from it are shrouded in mystery. It is generally believed that the Inquisition intervened heavily in this Founding, and it's a good bet that some hinky stuff went on. If you make a Chapter from this Founding you can do some fun stuff with them. Your Chapter may be charged with keeping watch over a particularly dangerous secret or threat, like guarding one of the Imperium's forbidden zone like the Death Spectres. The Chapter might have been granted unique equipment or training for facing a certain enemy. They may have even undergone experiemtnal procedures to improve their combat capabilities or grant them unusual abilities like the Exorcists did, though they wouldn't have any alterations as drastic as those of the 21st Founding. If you make a Chapter in this Founding you should capitalize on their mystery by making their Genesire unknown. This Founding is great for when you want a Chapter with close ties to the Inquisition. It should be noted however that Chapters from other Foundings may find 13th Founders untrustworthy. Cursed 21st Founding During the 21st Founding the Adeptus Mechanicus thought that they might be able to remove some of the Gene-flaws that plagued certain Chapters, and maybe even improve Space Marine Gene-seed to make even more formidable warriors. They believed that their understanding of genetics would allow them to make better Chapters, and so tampered with the blessed Gene-seed of the Astartes. Turns out they were dead wrong. An overwhelming portion of the Chapters created during this Founding developed drastic mutations. Those that didn't often suffered great calamity and misfortune. When everything was said and done good portion of this Founding was either disbanded or purged. In the eyes of the rest of the Imperium the Mechanicus, in their hubris tried to improve upon the Emperor's design, and rejiggered things they had no business jiggering with in the first place. So the Emperor cursed this whole batch of Marines, thus the name. If you were to create a Chapter from this Founding they would be part of a few, surviving Chapter that has as of yet avoided calamity or destruction. 21st Founders can have all sort of unique traits and mutations, though you have to be careful how you right them. After all gentic instability is amongst the most common grounds for Chapters to be destroyed. In addition to whatever physical differences they might have your Chapter is also likely to enjoy a feared reputation from enemies and allies alike. The drawback is that your Chapter isn't going to have a lot of friends. Remember everybody else thinks they're cursed. In their eyes it is only a matter of time before your Chapter goes rogue, devolves into grotesque mutants or falls victim to some epic disaster. Thus they aren't to keen to stand close by your Chapter's side, less they too are dragged into whatever calamity your Chapter is destined for. Many Imperial forces may refuse to fight alongside you. They are just watching and waiting for your Chapter to fall from grace, and thus you can only count on the most open-minded, reckless or desperate of forces to befriend your Chapter. 23rd "Sentinel" Founding The 23rd Founding occured during a period when the Imperium was hurting for some Marine firepower. They had lost a lot of Chapters in the time previous due to the Age of Apostacy, the Cursed 21st Founding and many other tragedies. The Imperium was being pressured by it's enemies and they desperately needed a new generation of battle hungry Marines to replenish the deplete ranks of the Astartes and push back the rising tide. Thus the Sentinel Founding occured. Sentinel Chapters tend to be restless, and possessed of a strong crusaders zeal. The Founding is filled with Crusade Chaptes that plunged into the battlefields of the far future almost as soon as they were created, and never stopped fighting. Thus like the Chapter of Foudings 8-10 they are likely to be battle hardened, but while those Chapters gain their experience from being posted in areas where the enemies of man attack relentlessly, the Sentinel Chapters gain their bones by taking the fight to the enemy. When there is nobody to battle they don't patrol areas of space waiting for the distress call. These Chapters go wherever the enemy is and bring them to battle. For this reason this Founding has gained respect in the eyes of their peers. 25th/26th Foundings Your Chapter is young. So they don't have the storied history that the older Chapters have. However you should not count them out. Just because these Chapters don't have the same experience that older Chapters have doesn't mean that they are any less capable. Since they are young they will be eager to get out into the galaxy, and prove their worth to their older brothers. Plus they have chosen a great time to do it. The Imperium is facing more dangers than ever before. Chaos is gaining momentum, the Tyranids have smashed into the galaxy, and aliens that would have never dared defy the Imperium before are now brazenly striking out against the Imperium. Your new boys have their work cut out for them, but they have yet to be worn down by millenia of combat, and are likely to be flexible a less set in their ways than the older Chapters, who have long since put their trust in their time tested methods. Category:Blog posts